Railroad-track appliance.



PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

Z. T. HOSKINS. RAILROAD TRACK APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 31, 1906.

2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

nmufor 206/107 fies/fins P 5361 ""7 J @67 9M fil Gnome Q Wihwasea PATENTEDAUG. 28, 1906.

2. T. noskms. RAILROAD TRACK APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED 718,131, 1905.

2 SHEETS-RESET 2 uoenbaz UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

ONE-HALF TO J. W. MGGRATH AND H AV EN, MISSISSIPPI.

M, D. MGGRATH, OF BROOK- FlAlLROAD-THACK APPLIANCE- Specification of Letters Itatentv Patented Aug. 28, 1906.

Application filed August 31, 1905. Serial No. 276.615.

1'0 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ZAonAni' T. HosmNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookhaven, in the county of Lincoln and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Track Appliances; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and-exact description of the invention, such as wi ll enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention, which relates to railroadtrack appliances, contemplates the provision of an improved device adapted for employment in connection with existing rail-joints for maintaining the meeting ends of rails in nlinement, for obviating spreading and crecping of the rails, and for preventing the entrance of moisture to the spike-holes in the ties.

The improved device, which is in the na ture ofa plate ada ted to be interposed be tween the rails an ties at a rail-joint, possesses the further functions of preventing depression of the rail ends relative to each other and of overcoming the tendency to blurring or wear of said ends, of preventing battering-and p rinding, of eliminating the denger of breaking or bending of the connecting fish-plates, and of minimizing friction under the heads of the rails.

The invention in detail is Fully and clearly set forth in the following description and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The drawings illustrate the improved device in the preferred form; but such showing is not to be regarded as a limitation, as various changes may he made therein without exceeding the scope of the concluding claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a pi-irsperztive view of a rail-joint equipped with a dcviccor attachment embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view oi the im Jrovsd de vice. Fig. 3 is a top plan view oi the blank. before being fashioned into shape. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on linc 4 430! Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by nu morals, 1 designate ties support ing the end portions of railway-rails 2 3, which are joined together by bolted angle fish-plates 4 in the usual manner.

An ob ect of the invention is to provide a evice capable of performing the several I functions hereinbel'ore described, which may i be applied without modification ol the joint and with the minimum of expenditure of time and labor, and, further, without interrn )tion of traffic.

l 0 these ends the device or attachment consists of a plate 6, formed from the blank, (illustrated in ig. 3,) the dimensions of which will depend upon the requirements.

i The blank is provided with spike-holes 7 7',

properly located to register with the spike notches or recesses in existing angle fishplates, whereh the spikes when driven will extend throng the plate and into the ties and will engage at their heads with the lishplate flanges. Thus the spikes serve to fasl ten in a secure manner the rail ends, fishplates, and. the improved plate, the several parts cooperating to strengthen the structure and prevent the ends of the rails getting out of alinement, with the consequent attending difficulties and dangers which need not be the proper dimensions to tightly receive the inserted spikes, whereby entrance of water to the spike-holes in the tie is efiectually precluded and the life of the ties at these {points is materially prolonged. The plates 6 are of the proper length to extend at each end beyond a fislnplate, and thus the tie is pro tented and the joint is supported for aconsiderahle distance by its respective plate, and the fish-plates are greatly relieved of breaking and oven bending strains, and tampiug of the ties is rendered unnecessary except at very infrequent intervals of time. Each platc 6 is provided at diagonally omwsite corners with shoulders 0 10, which in the pre ferred construction are fashioned by cutting the blank at the lines l1 l2 and by bending the metal to the term lt'Sl, shown in Fig. 3. In practice the rail cud. are raised or the ties at said ends tl(]1I'(-;s((l to admit ol the insertion of a plate, which is turned to the position shown in Fig l, in which position the lipshapcd shoulders receive the bus-vs of the rails and abut at their inner edges against the ends of the ros motivc fish-plates.

To permit of the positioning of the ilate with reference to the ends of the oppositelydisposed fish-plates, the inner edges 13 of the shoulders (the curved or beveled, as shown, l and the cotnneted pair of fish-plates are thus here enumerated. The spikediolcs 7 are of holes l5 1!) are loeated to eause the head porlions ot' the driven spikes 14 to eonline the i a l the rails and the ends ol the llanges i the fish-plates, single spike It thus ser iug to hold the rail to the tie and forming a houlder against whit-h the tish-plate llange a'onts. l laeh fish-plate ol' :1 pair is thus eonlined endwise hetween two rigid shoulders namely, that rarried by the plate and the ltlllipltllttlliitll) driyen spikeand all tendenvy to creeping is etl'eetually overeoine.

To the many advantages possessed by the improved deviee may he added siinplieity ol' eonstrnetion, durability, and oheapness of produetiun,

lelaim as my invention t. A railroad-Hark applianee, eonsisting ol' 9 plate presenting a smooth under surface and adapted to he interposed between the rail and ties at the rail-joint, and provided at two diagonally opposite eorners only with shoulders for engaging the diagonally opposite ends of the pairol' angle lisl1-plates of said oint.

J. A railroad-Hark applianee, eonsisting ol' :1 plate presenting a smooth under surl'aee and adapted to he interposed hetween the rails and ties at the rail-joint and provided at two diagonally opposite eorners only with site onds of the pair of anglelish-platesol' said joint. said shoulders ha ing euryed or heyeled inner surl atls.

3. A railroad-traek applianee, eonsisting ol' a plate presenting a smooth under surlaeo and adapted to be inter iosed between the rails and ties at the railoint, and provided at two diagonally opposite corners only with shoulders for engaging the diagonally opposite ends of the pairot' angle lish-platesot'said joint and with holes at the eorners opposite to the shouldered eorners l'or reeeiying spikes to eonline the hases of the rails and the other ends olsaid fish-plates.

l. A railway-rail joint eonsisting ol' the rails. a pair of angle fish-plates holted to the meeting ends of said rails, said plates having j spike-notehes, a plate presenting a smooth under surl'aee and interposed between the raildmses and the supporting-ties, having spike-holes registering with said notehes and provided at two diagonally opposite eorners only with shoulders for engaging the diagonally opposite ends of said fish-plates, and

with spike-holes at the opposite corners, and

spikes in said holes.

5 A railrmid-traek applianee. eonsist ing of a plate presenting a smooth under surlaee and adapted to he interposed hetween the rails and ties at the rail-joint, and provided at two diagonally opposite eorners only with angle-lish-plate-engaging shoulders and at the other eorners with spil eholes and having other spike-holes loeated laterally heyond said eorner-holes.

6. A raihvay-rail joint consisting ol the rails, a pair of angle lish-plates holted to the meeting ends ol said rails, a late presenting a smooth under surface ant interposed hetween the railhases and the supporting-ties, and shoulders at eornets of the plate routining the rails vertieally and the fish-plates longltudinally. shoulders for engaging the diagonally oppoin testimony whereof I allix my signature in present-e of two witnesses ZAtlIARY 'l. HOSKINS. Witnesses:

J. l). YUAKLET, VV. '1. Non'rox. 

